This invention relates to reeds for musical instruments and in particular relates to a method and apparatus for adjusting reeds for single reed musical instruments.
Reeds for musical instruments normally are commercially made of cane, which due to inconsistencies in the thickness of the cane and variations in physical properties of the cane such as hardness caused by improper seasoning, does not lend itself to the production of reeds which are closely reproducible. Accordingly, often one or two reeds only out of a package of several reeds made in the same manner are found to be satisfactory and the remaining reeds are rejected.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,506,364; 1,667,836; and 2,287,529 disclose design modifications of reeds by the provision of longitudinal or transverse grooves in the surfaces of the reeds in an effort to enhance tone qualities. However, none of these patents permits adjustment of the reeds by the user to compensate for variations in physical properties of the reeds.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,420,132 proposes to overcome deficiencies inherent in cane reeds such as lack of control of tone quality and poor reproducibility in manufacture by providing a reed of two or more different materials such as glass fiber and stainless steel. It is taught in this patent, column 3, lines 25-46, that the stiffness of the tip of the reed is an important physical property, well known to woodwind players, which is commonly altered by scraping and trimming of the reed. However, the mass of the tip of conventional reeds which affects tone allegedly cannot be adjusted. Although a reed is shown having longitudinal slots formed therein, the air gaps formed by the slots would impede tone qualities and adjustment by the user of the reed, made of, for example, stainless steel would not be possible.